Our Blue Backyard

October 2025

I recently created a Water Justice Index by applying the research I’d done during my summer internship with a California water rate consultant. After tracking and reporting all 268 water district prices, I wanted to take the analyses further and explore how they might affect economically vulnerable communities, as I discovered lots of complicated pricing strategies along the way.

To find out, I looked into EPA violations and household income. The results were saddening, showing that lower-income households often pay proportionally more of their income for water that fails safety standards at higher rates. I will be sharing my findings and data with the California Water Commission.